So who are the famous faces and behind-the-scenes operatives who’ve made the cut in The Courier-Mail’s top 65 for 2022?

It’s a varied and colourful list and all who feature were assessed on this same criteria: their ability to influence the decisions that matter in Queensland. They were then critiqued on how effectively they use this influence.

POWER 100: Queensland’s most powerful people 100-51

SPORT: Queensland’s 65 most powerful sporting identities

BUSINESS:Queensland’s 60 most powerful business leaders

TOMORROW: The Property Power List

NEXT THURSDAY: Queensland’s Top 50 Most Powerful

Scroll to the bottom to read how we selected the list.

1. HARVEY LISTER

ASM Global (Asia Pacific) chairman and CEO

If it’s a crowd-pulling spectacle, you can bet Harvey Lister is behind it, either directly through his influential company role or indirectly through his intricate web of contacts and powers of persuasion. Undoubtedly the best connected person in the business, Lister is a formidable character who has the ear of government and the respect of industry.

Lister’s links to stadiums, concert halls and auditoriums across the globe give him an undeniable edge when it comes to luring major acts and events to Queensland.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Lister is the prime mover behind the proposed Brisbane Live arena and entertainment precinct which he hopes will finally get the green light as the Queensland capital races towards the 2032 Olympic Games.

His company manages more than 350 premier venues globally, three of which are Suncorp Stadium, the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, so we’re talking major events from music to sport and everything in between.

Lister’s stories about the legendary musicians he’s met over his 50-year career would make a best-selling book – Billy Joel, Pink, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, The Eagles, Rod Stewart and Tina Turner to name a few – but this private family man is too much of a diplomat to kiss and tell.

2. LI CUNXIN

Queensland Ballet artistic director

The man otherwise known as Mao’s Last Dancer (the title of his international bestseller and Hollywood film) moves mountains, with an unparalleled ability to extract endless millions from the State Government as well as Queensland’s biggest donors, including Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart.

He has become the envy of ballet companies throughout Australia, with Li Cunxin’s persuasive genius resulting in a spectacular $100 million redevelopment of the Thomas Dixon Centre in West End.

Growing the retinue of dancers and taking the Queensland Ballet interstate and overseas, he could charm the birds out of the trees. His transformation of the Brisbane-based company is one of the great success stories of the past decade.

3. PHILIP BACON

Art dealer and philanthropist

From his base at Philip Bacon Galleries in Fortitude Valley, regarded by many as Australia’s finest commercial art gallery, Bacon has quietly and astutely become a leading figure and a philanthropist of significance. He influences the Queensland aesthetic in myriad ways.

The well-connected Bacon sits on the board of directors of Opera Australia and is chair of the Opera Australia Capital Fund. He is also deputy chair of the National Gallery of Australia Foundation, a member of the QAGOMA Foundation, deputy chair of Brisbane Festival and currently chairing the art advisory panel for Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.

He doesn’t so much wield power as win people over with his charm.

4. JOHN KOTZAS

Queensland Performing Arts and Centre chief executive

The quietly spoken but doggedly determined John Kotzas has shaped the Queensland art scene and is always seeking new ways to delight audiences.

Kotzas, who has been the linchpin in bringing the world’s best to Brisbane – from the Paris Opera Ballet and Milan’s Teatro alla Scala Ballet to every sellout Broadway musical you can think of – has the ear of all who matter.

Who else could get $125 million out of the State Government to build a new theatre, which is now under way next to the Playhouse at QPAC? Does he play politics? Yes, he’s a master of that dark art, but he does it so you wouldn’t even notice.

QPAC is a statutory body and Kotzas was appointed by the government to his current role in 2008 though he’s been with the centre for more than 20 years.

Kotzas is probably the best networked figure in the performing arts scene in Australia.

5. TIM FAIRFAX

Tim Fairfax Family Foundation chairman

Pastoralist Tim Fairfax is a much-admired statesman of the arts. He and wife Gina and their four daughters are generous benefactors through their private foundation, which has distributed more than $54 million with a particular interest in benefiting regional Australia.

For example, in 2021 it facilitated the transformation of Rockhampton Art Gallery into the Rockhampton Museum of Art, engaging First Nations representation in the collection, staff and programming.

Tim and Gina Fairfax have contributed year-on-year to Brisbane Festival and support the commissioning of new contemporary works.

Fairfax is president of the QAGOMA Foundation, sits on the board of the National Gallery of Australia Foundation, and, like his wife, is a life member of Philanthropy Australia.

While his family foundation does not support political parties or lobby groups, the Fairfax name remains a powerful one.

6. IRWIN FAMILY

Australia Zoo founders

They might run the hugely popular Sunshine Coast zoo, but the Irwins are entertainers in their own right. Since the late Steve Irwin captured the hearts of the world with his earnest energy and passion for wildlife, his family has been among the country’s most famous faces.

His wife Terri and children Bindi and Robert have continued his legacy, commanding global attention with their slate of appearances and global ad campaigns, all while running the zoo and pushing their conservation efforts.

They have their own show on Animal Planet, Bindi won Dancing With The Stars in the US and Robert makes regular appearances on talk shows. Whatever the Irwins do, the world seems to be watching – and if Terri’s number shows up on Premier’s phone, the Premier answers.

7. LEEANNE ENOCH

Minister for the Arts

While her portfolio responsibilities are broad – Leeanne Enoch is also Minister for Communities and Housing – she is genuinely passionate about the arts.

The sister of celebrated playwright Wesley Enoch, she is known for her ability to listen to stakeholders. This year Enoch announced four new providers in the Regional Arts Services Network, boosting opportunities for Queenslanders to access arts and cultural engagement, and supporting employment opportunities.

As the first Indigenous Australian woman elected to the Queensland Parliament, she is a big supporter of First Nations art and culture.

8. KIRSTEN HERRING

Arts Queensland deputy director-general

No wonder many players in the arts jostle to rub shoulders with Kirsten Herring at opening nights. She oversees the governmental department’s investment (arts is under the umbrella of the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy) and policy activities in the arts – which makes her a powerful figure behind the scenes.

Her brief covers the government’s investment in the Queensland Cultural Centre, which encompasses QPAC and the other major players in the precinct.

She also oversees the funding of the major companies, looks after corporate governance support for the state’s arts statutory bodies and government owned companies and the delivery of the arts investment funding programs.

9. LOUISE BEZZINA AND CHARLIE CUSH

Brisbane Festival artistic director and CEO

Louise Bezzina and Charlie Cush form the most dynamic duo in the arts in Queensland.

The charismatic Bezzina has made Brisbane Festival loved by a much wider community. Her brilliant programming during the pandemic and her sunny disposition are a breath of fresh air.

She pioneered a cultural renaissance on the Gold Coast running Bleach festival and as the first female artistic director of Brisbane Festival she has made everyone sit up and take notice. She has turned it into the people’s festival without compromising any of its – or her – artistic integrity.

Cush, meanwhile, is one of the most popular arts figures in Queensland and made a name for himself with contemporary circus company Circa before jumping to Brisbane Festival. His genial manner belies a laser-like focus and ability to get the job done.

10. CHRIS SAINES

Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art director

Saines was one of the most envied men in the Australian visual arts world last year when he secured the ground breaking European Masterpieces exhibition exclusively from The Museum of Metropolitan Art in New York.

It was his international travels and connections that enabled him to pull it off and make Queensland history. Saines is a walking encyclopaedia of art and is as passionate as he is erudite and he is the ultimate professional.

In nearly a decade at QAGOMA he has triumphed, even during Covid.

11. BAZ LUHRMANN

Hollywood director

Flamboyant film director Baz Luhrmann’s decision to film the 2022 biopic Elvis entirely in Queensland injected more than $130m into the state’s economy. The production, staggered over three years due to the impact of Covid, employed almost 1000 Queenslanders and was a boost for businesses with stars such as Tom Hanks dropping in and providing priceless publicity.

The film’s Australian premiere on the Gold Coast was arguably the red carpet event of the year, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk among the key guests. She says the movie “entrenched the Coast’s position as Australia’s screen capital”.

12. PAUL PITICCO

Secret Service Group CEO

He likes to fly under the radar but Paul Piticco is one of the most influential movers and shakers in the world of music and entertainment. The former band manager of Powderfinger, Piticco has his creative fingers in many pies, from the Fortitude Music Hall and The Triffid to the Splendour in the Grass and Falls festivals (which he co-directs with Sydney-based Jessica Ducrou).

He is also managing director of independent record labels Dew Process and Create/Control and the Secret Service Music Company. His interests don’t stop there. Piticco is part-owner of several Brisbane hospitality hot spots including Popolo restaurant and bars Heya and The Gresham.

13. CHRIS HEMSWORTH

Actor

The Hemsworth name needs no introduction in the world of entertainment. But the Byron Bay-based star is increasingly contributing to the Queensland scene, acting in locally-made sci-thriller Spiderhead which was released on Netflix in June.

The Thor actor and his Spanish actor-model wife Elsa Pataky are a popular pair. In August Magic Millions co-owner Katie Page-Harvey announced Pataky as the 2023 Magic Millions Global Ambassador for Showjumping.

Hemsworth and Pataky are more than celebrities. Their influence is now felt across multiple sectors including tourism where Hemsworth has been an Australian ambassador for years.

14. SUSIE O’NEILL

Nova 106.9 Breakfast radio presenter

She was first known as Madame Butterfly, the golden girl of the 2000 Sydney Olympics who went on to achieve eight Olympic medals during her swimming career.

Relatable and down-to-earth, Susie O’Neill is almost an accidental success story.

She began co-hosting Nova’s breakfast show in 2013 but, buoyed by her popularity, station bosses convinced her to join the program full time in 2019. The show won 10 of the following 13 radio surveys.

In March this year, she was invited to speak at the Future Women Leadership Summit, along with the likes of Josh Frydenberg (then treasurer), his successor Jim Chalmers and Queensland’s industry and business leaders.

Still a key voice in sport, O’Neill was appointed deputy chef de mission for the Australian Olympic team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2022, she was elevated to become its 34th legend of Australian sport in 2012.

In 2018, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to swimming at the elite level, as a mentor and role model, and to the community through support for charitable organisations.

15. BRETT GODFREY

Tourism and Events Queensland chairman

Without Godfrey’s sign-off, none of a plethora of arts events would gain valuable TEQ support. These include the Brisbane Festival, QPAC International Series, Woodford Folk Festival, Gympie Music Muster, Cairns Summer Sounds, Bigsound, Capricorn Film Festival and the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art.

The influence of this entrepreneurial accountant – who with Sir Richard Branson in 2000 founded Virgin Blue airlines, the precursor to Virgin Australia – cannot be underestimated.

He has a finger on the pulse of the arts and entertainment industries and knows exactly who to enlist to get things done.

16. KATE GOULD

Brisbane Powerhouse CEO and artistic director

She’s Brisbane arts royalty, the daughter of celebrated former QPAC head honcho Tony Gould, and she has been making the arts world sit up and take notice interstate. But now she’s back home in Brisbane with big plans to make the former power station into an arts hub and a destination in its own right.

Gould is one of Australia’s leading cultural entrepreneurs and strategic adviser to numerous major events and organisations including Dark Mofo, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre, Monash University and Australian Dance Theatre. She is the former CEO of the Adelaide Festival.

17. JOHN COLLINS

Fortitude Music Hall co-founder and The Triffid boss

The former bass guitarist for the legendary band Powderfinger, John Collins – better known as JC – has morphed into a music entrepreneur of note, running The Triffid live music venue in Newstead and most recently also the massive Fortitude Music Hall with business partners Paul Piticco and Scott Hutchinson.

Collins and his team will soon launch a new venture in Adelaide.

18. WESLEY ENOCH

Playwright, academic

Wesley Enoch is one of the most influential figures in the arts in Australia today and is a champion of First Nations people and art. The brother of Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch, he ​certainly has an enviable link with the government.

This ​internationally acclaimed playwright and artistic director​ ​​divides his time between North Stradbroke Island and Brisbane. He is Indigenous Chair in the Creative Industries at QUT​, ​and his recent return to Brisbane follows five years as Sydney Festival​ director​.

Enoch has previously served as artistic director of Queensland Theatre Company​ and his feel-good musical The Sunshine Club was restaged by QTC in July.

​

19. TRENT DALTON

Author

Walkley Award-winning journalist Trent Dalton has had a dream run since his best-selling debut novel Boy Swallows Universe hit the shelves in 2018. So popular was the book in his hometown of Brisbane, where the semi-autobiographical story is set, that film adaptation rights were sold and Queensland Theatre Company developed a play which ran at the 2021 Brisbane Festival.

In March 2022, Netflix announced it would be turning the book into a miniseries, directed by Aussie actor Joel Edgerton. The production, to be shot over five months from August, is supported by Screen Queensland’s production attraction strategy and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk tips it will inject $33 million into the economy, creating around 185 jobs for cast and crew and 2500 extras.

20. TRACEY VIEIRA

Screen Producers Australia president

A no-nonsense operator, Tracey Vieria is plugged into the screen sector like few others. She was at the helm of Screen Queensland between 2015 and 2019 and largely credited with the industry’s boom, bringing big budget US productions, from Thor to Aquaman, to the state.

Before that Vieira honed her contact book at the Pacific Film and Television Commission and as Ausfilm’s commissioner in Los Angeles for a decade. Proving networking is everything, she secured Aquaman by negotiating with a Warner Bros executive she met years earlier.

After resigning from Screen Queensland, Vieira jumped ship to work as Hoodlum Entertainment’s chief content officer, continuing to create successful productions in the state, and added her current role to her impressive resume in late 2021.

21. KYLIE MUNNICH

Screen Queensland chief executive

Munnich carries a lot of influence as the boss of a thriving screen body in a state where the Premier has a particular fond spot for film and television production.

Munnich took over the leadership of SQ in late 2019 after a booming few years for the industry and has carried on the momentum through the pandemic. She took on the job after 25 years in the industry, with jobs at Seven Studios, Sky Vision, Sony Pictures Television International and MGM International.

22. SCOTT HUTCHINSON

Fortitude Music Hall co-founder

He’s the chairman of a private construction company with an annual revenue of $2.6bn but Scott Hutchinson is a live music tragic.

Hutchinson says he never quite got over the closure of Brisbane’s Festival Hall in 2003. He reckons he doesn’t have any hobbies besides his love of music and that’s why he decided to bankroll the city’s newest live venue, Fortitude Music Hall, a 3300-seat venue based on the famous Fillmore theatre in Philadelphia.

He’s the landlord but a passionate one and the venue is quickly becom​ing​ legendary in the same way Festival Hall once was. Hutchinson, who partnered with John Collins and Paul Piticco in FMH, has been a vocal supporter of live music, lobbying the government and anyone else he needs to in order to get things done.

23. PETER COALDRAKE

Queensland Performing Arts Trust Board chair

He’s been in the news for his 2022 scathing “Let the Sunshine In” report into the culture and accountability of the Queensland public sector, but Professor Coaldrake’s other big job is leading the board of trustees that governs QPAC, a statutory body. He was appointed by the government to the plum position in 2017.

Coaldrake is also a commissioner of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency and a board member of the Queensland Community Foundation. A dual Fulbright scholar, he was vice-chancellor and CEO of QUT from 2003 to 2017, and it was in the latter year that he was named a Queensland Great by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

24. IAN O’CONNOR

Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art chair

Ian O’Connor is a respected steady hand behind the scenes at what some would argue is our premier cultural institution. He is a down to earth, low-key operator with a passion for the arts and has chaired the board of trustees at QAGOMA since 2017.

A former deputy chair of Trade and Investment Queensland, he was the influential vice-chancellor and president of Griffith University from 2005 to 2018. He is married to Anna Reynolds, who runs the Brisbane Portrait Prize, making them a formidable couple in the arts world.

25. LYNNE BENZIE

Village Roadshow Studios president

Working her way up over three decades from assistant PA to the top job, Lynne Benzie continues to steer the phenomenal growth of the screen industry, not only in Queensland but in Australia.

This year’s epic feature Elvis, by Baz Luhrmann and starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, is just one of the mammoth productions that took place at Benzie’s workplace. Despite the challenges of Covid, Village Roadshow Studios is now the busiest it’s been in more than 35 years. Box-office smash hits Thor: Ragnarok (Marvel Studios), Aquaman (Warner Bros.) and Dora and the Lost City of Gold (Paramount) were also made here.

Before landing a job at the Gold Coast studios in 1990, Benzie worked across a diverse range of industries such as engineering, building, legal and finance.

26. DAVID ‘LUTTSY’ LUTTERAL

Nova 106.9 Breakfast radio presenter

First hired as the sports guy for Nova’s foundation Brisbane breakfast team in 2005, David Lutteral was quickly promoted to co-host and has now presented on Brisbane radio for more than 15 years.

The Ash, Luttsy & Susie O’Neill show is the most listened to in town, although it’s Lutteral and O’Neill who are considered to have the broadest influence of the trio off the airwaves.

While high-profile relationships and ambassadorships have undoubtedly boosted Lutteral’s profile, his impact is greater than it might seem on the surface. He has served on the board of the Queensland Academy of Sport and hosted events at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, travelling to Tokyo to MC the Rugby Sevens competition.

He now co-hosts the podcast Toward The Games in the lead up to Brisbane’s hosting of the global event and is tipped to be among the creative taskforce for the Games.

27. NATHAN MAYFIELD AND TRACEY ROBERTSON

Hoodlum Entertainment co-founders

Hoodlum has taken leaps forward in the past decade to become one of the country’s biggest operating production houses. Since co-founding the company in 1999 and spending time in LA, Hoodlum has won an Emmy and a BAFTA while actively resolving to always base its company at home in Brisbane.

In Queensland they have produced Tidelands for Netflix, Australia’s first original Netflix series, Harrow for ABC International, successful movie Australia Day and recently Netflix movies Christmas on the Farm and A Perfect Pairing. They’ve also produced international success stories Secrets & Lies and Five Bedrooms.

With a slate of projects in the works, they are ​a major employer of Queensland cast and crew.

28. ROBIN BAILEY

KIIS 97.3 Breakfast radio presenter

Robin Bailey is known for wearing her heart on her sleeve. She feels deeply about issues and isn’t afraid to broach sensitive subjects.

Her on-air sharing of the loss to suicide of her first husband (the father of her three sons) and of the death from cancer of her second husband just a few years later won her a legion of fans, as well as a national profile.

Bailey made her mark on the scene firstly by spending nine years with Jamie Dunn and Ian Skippen on the B105 Morning Crew, dominating the Brisbane market during the 1990s and early 2000s.

She then hosted 97.3 for a decade before contract negotiations turned sour and she was axed from the network. In a testament to her power in radio, she jumped ship to launch a new breakfast show on rivals Triple M before a struggling 97.3 reinstated Bailey in a bid to boost their ratings.

She was able to name her terms and bring her long-time producer with her. Bailey is well-connected and one of the rare few in Brisbane media who draws attention with every topic she chooses to discuss.

29. ROD PILBEAM

Queensland Symphony Orchestra acting chair

The dapper Rod Pilbeam has spent a lifetime in the arts and entertainment, and joined the board of the QSO in 2016.

He is a founding partner with Harvey Lister of AEG Ogden, now part of the ASM Global group which operates and provides consulting for owners and developers of arenas, performing arts centres and theatres, convention and exhibition centres and sports stadia throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East.

In July Pilbeam transitioned his executive directorship of ASM Global (Asia Pacific) to a part-time chief operating officer role but don’t expect his passion for the arts or his ability to influence decision makers to wane.

30. SARAH MAGUSARA

Influencer

Brisbane social media star Sarah Magusara is the most followed Queenslander on Tiktok, and in August was named Australia’s most powerful creator in The Oz’s Influence Index.

At just 21, her bubbly dance and fitness videos have seen her following on the platform grow to almost 18 million – that means to the younger crowd, she’s the girl you aspire to be, and for the slightly older crowd, she is the most influential person you’ve never heard of.

After enduring the challenges of a teen pregnancy, fast-tracking grade 12, she’s leveraged her dance skills and turned the platform into a lucrative career, which has seen her grace the pages of Stellar, star in a fashion campaign for SuperDry and land coveted invites to events such as the Australian premiere of Elvis.

Magusara also has 1.2 million followers on Instagram and 367,000 YouTube subscribers.

The Influence Index uses metrics to determine which content creators have true influence over their fans, and who only have large followings.

31. KRIS STEWART

QMusic chief executive

After an eight-year term as artistic director for Brisbane Powerhouse, Stewart took over the top job at QMusic in mid-2021, expanding his influence in the music and performance sector. During his time at the Powerhouse he sold more than 1 million tickets and saw a 91 per cent increase in programming local artists. At QMusic he has overseen expanded programs at events such as Bigsound, which foster upcoming artists.

32. BERNARD FANNING

Musician

There are few names in Australian music that carry more weight than Bernard Fanning. As the lead singer of Queensland’s beloved Powderfinger, he enjoyed great success, later taking his career solo.

Often speaking out against Australian political figures, Fanning has donated much of his time to philanthropic causes. He used the groundswell of support for a Powderfinger reunion to raise money via a one-off charity performance in 2020 and takes part in many similar ventures across Australia. When there are calls for him to lead events such as a sporting grand final, he takes the opp

He has co-owned a recording studio in Byron Bay, where he lives, since 2015.

33. TRACY COOPER-LAVERY

HOTA Gallery director

She is now director of the biggest regional art gallery in Australia and the funny thing is it happens to be on the Gold Coast, once regarded as a cultural desert. Not anymore.

Cooper-Lavery started her career on the Gold Coast and later made Rockhampton’s regional gallery one of the best in Queensland. She is the founding director of the spectacular new HOTA Gallery in Surfers Paradise and is widely liked and respected in the art world. She has a no-nonsense, down to earth style but is sharp as a tack when it comes to the visual arts. Acumen, she has it in spades.

34. DAVID WENHAM

Actor

This Brisbane-based actor commands star power and is a favourite of celebrated director Baz Luhrmann, working with him again in the 2022 biopic Elvis in which he played country singer Hank Snow.

The juggernaut Elvis has brought big dollars into Queensland, not only in box office bucks but jobs with the film made entirely in this state. Wenham’s other recent work includes playing Jasper Queller in the Netflix thriller Pieces of Her.

Now that he’s back in town, Wenham is a regular at A-lister events too.

35. RENAI GRACE

Museum of Brisbane director and CEO

In the job for almost six years, Renai Grace has led popular exhibitions including Mao’s Last Dancer the exhibition, The Designers’ Guide: Easton Pearson Archive, New Woman and initiated the biannual Brisbane Art Design Festival.

Prior to joining Museum of Brisbane, Grace worked for some of Queensland’s leading cultural institutions and projects, including Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art, Women of the World Festival, Northsite (formerly Kickarts) and Artisan, Queensland’s peak body for craft and design. She has also served as director of investment and development at Arts Queensland.

As a curator, she co-founded art galleries Spiro Grace Art Room, Smith & Stoneley and Blindside as well as Independent Arts Management, an arts consultancy that has overseen the management of corporate art collections and orchestrated the master planning and commissioning of major public artworks across Australia.

36. ABBY COLEMAN

B105 Breakfast radio host

Abby Coleman’s career began when she finished runner-up on the first season of reality TV show The Mole when she was just 18. She leveraged her new-found fame to launch a successful career on TV and radio, presenting Couch Potato, weather on Weekend Today and The Hot30 Countdown.

In 2011, she moved to Brisbane and joined B105 to host the breakfast show which she has now been presenting for more than a decade, sharing all facets of her life as a mother of three, as one of the most influential names on Brisbane radio.

Coleman is also a sought-after host for events around Brisbane and a regular TV guest.

37. LEIGH TABRETT

Queensland Performing Arts Trust Board deputy chair

When she was deputy director-general of Arts Queensland, Leigh Tabrett formed deep connections and she still has the ear of those in power although she wields her influence quietly.

At Arts Queensland, she was behind the establishment of the Cairns Indigenous Art fair.

Now on the Queensland Performing Arts Trust board, which oversees QPAC, she serves as deputy chair to Peter Coaldrake and continues to be intimately involved in the world of the performing arts.

With Cathy Hunt, she formed the not for profit Of One Mind, a cultural enterprise that works in partnership with the Women of the World Foundation to deliver WOW festivals and activities in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

38. MICHAEL ZAVROS

Artist

The hyperrealist works of Michael Zavros sell for up to $200,000 a pop and hang in Queensland’s best homes. Feted by collectors and represented by the legendary Philip Bacon, Zavros and wife Alison Kubler are regulars on the A-list scene as well.

Zavros’ work has hung at Art Los Angeles Contemporary, Art Basel Hong Kong and the National Gallery of Australia.

Kubler is a respected gallery and museum creator with more than 20 years’ in the game. Together, they make an influential couple in the arts scene.

39. AMY SHARK

Singer/songwriter

While she had plenty of people close the door on her in her early career – the inspiration for her hit song I Said Hi – the Gold Coast singer has quickly become one of Australia’s most influential current artists.

She has won eight ARIA Awards from just two studio albums, been publicly endorsed by Sir Elton John and has worked with The Chainsmokers, Ed Sheeran, Diplo and Billy Corgan of ​The Smashin​g​ Pumpkins. At the same time she is committed to staying in Queensland, supporting causes she cares about, including leading the call for the Care Army during the peak of the pandemic.

40. JANO KOTZAS

The Prop House founder

Jano Kotzas (nee Dawes) started her events company in 1995 and today it is responsible for theming shopping centre installations across the state as well as decorating town hall squares at Christmas.

Its prop hiring arm is a favourite with A-list entertainers for parties and society weddings. Kotzas’s other half is QPAC boss John Kotzas so when it comes to the machinations of the arts world, she is also very much in the know.

41. ANNA REYNOLDS

Brisbane Portrait Prize director

As a founder and director of the Brisbane Portrait Prize, Anna Reynolds has helped revolutionise the art scene.

With more than $80,000 in prize money, the competition is now almost as highly regarded in Queensland as the Archibald Prize, and the annual finalists’ exhibition at Brisbane Powerhouse is an integral part of the cultural landscape.

Reynolds, who is married to Ian O’Connor (Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art board of trustees chair) pursued her own passion for portrait painting after leaving a career in broadcasting and print media.

42. SALLYANNE ATKINSON

Museum of Brisbane chair

While she may always be best known for her charm and wisdom as Brisbane Lord Mayor in the heady 1980s and into the early 1990s, Sallyanne Atkinson is also a lover and tireless supporter of the arts.

She’s notching up 10 years with the museum, in addition to her other roles as patron of the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra and University of the Third Age. A former Senior Trade Commissioner to France, Belgium and Luxembourg, Atkinson sits on the board of the Waltzing Matilda Centre in Winton and is an active member of the Zonta Club of Brisbane.

43. SHEPPARD

Indie band

They’re the band of choice at sporting events and galas, having made their debut in the music scene with Bombs Away in 2014. Second single Geronimo also went gangbusters. The band was formed in 2009 as a duo by George and Amy Sheppard, and sibling Emma came on board a few years later, as did Jay Bovino, Michael Butler and Jared Tredly. More than just an Indie band, Sheppard’s leading ladies are also strong advocates for positive body image for a legion of young fans.

44. BIANCA BEETSON

Griffith University Indigenous Research Unit director

Yes, the name is famous (she is the niece of the late rugby league icon Arthur Beetson) but Bianca Beetson has made her name in the world of art.

Beetson is a Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi (Sunshine Coast) Waradjuri (NSW) artist and her latest work recognises Suncorp Stadium’s heritage as a gathering place for friendly battles and was unveiled ahead of the NRL Magic Round.

The artwork features 25 laser-cut steel hunting boomerangs with welcome greetings in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language dialects. Beetson is also on the board of trustees at QAGOMA and an accomplished curator.

45. CATHIE REID

Epic Group co-founder

Clad in designer labels from head to toe, Cathie Reid might have the best little black book in Queensland.

She and husband Stuart Giles, founders of Australia’s Epic Group (including Epic Pharmacy and the philanthropic Epic Good Foundation), might have made their fortune in the healthcare business but when it comes to glittering events, Reid is a queen. Within days, she will go from mingling with politicians and A-listers at the Gambaro Moet Ball to being personally fitted by Dior in Paris.

Giles is no slacker in the sartorial department either and together they host, or attend, some of the most talked about parties. The Epic Good Foundation supports a number of organisations including Queensland Ballet, and she and Giles regularly welcome big-name celebrities to the exclusive Makepeace Island they co-own with Sir Richard Branson. Reid is also a director of the Brisbane Lions.

46. KERI CRAIG-LEE

Eponymous fashion designer

Best known for her fashion career spanning more than 45 years, Keri Craig-Lee also hosts some of Brisbane’s most lavish – and important – parties.

In their Ascot mansion, Sutherland, she and cattle baron husband Trevor Lee have entertained Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Racing Minister Grace Grace, employment guru Sarina Russo and a swag of other influential people across politics, business, the arts and fashion.

Craig-Lee and Lee, with an estimated fortune of $750m, established Australian Country Choice beef and food processing company in 1995, as well as Keri Lee Charters and Sutherland Aviation.

47. LINDSAY BENNETT

Brisbane Fashion Festival managing director

A true diplomat and experienced marketing professional, Lindsay Bennett attracts a glittering crowd to his annual fashion festival, which he runs with his long-time partner Bryce Williams.

The event has become an institution on the social scene and an important showcase for established and emerging designers, often kickstarting careers of homegrown talent and always generating a boost in sales for these creative businesses.

Bennett’s charm and persuasive powers have brought in big-name sponsors including Gina Rinehart.

48. STEVE JAGGI

The Steve Jaggi Company producer

Since moving his production company to Queensland in 2019, Steve Jaggi has overseen six productions in the state, making the company among the most consistent employers in the local screen industry.

His thriller movie Kidnapped, in Far North Queensland, was the first to resume filming in the state when Covid shut down the industry in 2020. Jaggi followed that project with Netflix series Dive Club, which was led by a group of young rising stars.

49. JOSH LAWSON

Actor/director

After a stint in Los Angeles, where he received an Academy Award nomination for his short film The Eleven O’Clock and a number of big-note acting jobs, Lawson relocated back to Australia in recent years.

While carving out a successful career on screen, starring in Mortal Combat and recently the Jessica Watson biopic, the Brisbane actor is also a filmmaker, writing and directing romantic comedy Long Story Short, which he made in Australia. He is now living on the Gold Coast with further projects in the pipeline.

50. LEAH PURCELL

Actor/director

This powerhouse in the acting world hails from the South Burnett region and is an award-winning actor in theatre and on screen, starring in Wentworth.

She spent the better part of eight years writing and adapting The Drover’s Wife, first creating and starring in the stage play, then the best-selling novel and finally the film – which she sourced funding for independently. Through the film she became the first Australian to win the Jury Grand Prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

She is now using her influence to help other projects get off the ground, supporting First Nations writers’ workshop RAW and linking up with the winning production, All My Friends Are Racist, as an executive producer.

51. KATE MILLER-HEIDKE

Singer/composer

Classically trained at the Queensland Conservatorium, Kate Miller-Heidke has managed to enjoy a successful career in pop music for two decades, nominated for 17 ARIA awards and representing Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019.

But she’s also tasted success as a composer, writing opera The Rabbits and co-writing new music and lyrics for the musical theatre version of Muriel’s Wedding – both of which won the Helpmann Award for best original score.

Now back in Brisbane, she helps promote a number of festivals and events to support the industry and has been commissioned to premiere an original piece for Brisbane Festival in September.

52. BUSBY MAROU

Musician

Thomas Busby and Jeremy Marou, who met in Rockhampton in 2007, perform together and with other artists, and they have the ear of government.

Marou has Torres Strait Islander heritage, and the duo was a recipient of Breakthrough, a federal government initiative supporting emerging indigenous contemporary musicians. The award assisted with the production of Busby Marou’s debut album, released in 2010.

Their third album came out in 2017 and rocketed to number 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The duo performed at the 2020 AFL Grand Final.

53. MARGOT ROBBIE

Actor/director

Gold Coast educated Margot Robbie might live in the US with her British filmmaker husband Tom Ackerley, but her connections in Queensland remain strong. Should the Academy Award nominee wish to use her influence, people would take notice. Receiving a Rad Impact Award, which honours “cultural icons who inspire purpose”, the actor chose to share the going with Brisbane’s Youngcare which funds services for young people with high care needs.

54. MARGAUX PARKER

Triple M Breakfast radio host

She might be a former WAG as the wife of Bronco legend Corey Parker, but this mum of four has nailed a career in radio, returning to Triple M in 2019 after Robin Bailey left to look after her cancer-stricken husband.

Margaux Parker has a candid manner, which has endeared her to listeners, and having a keen insight into the world of rugby league doesn’t hurt her popularity either.

55. KATIE NOONAN

Singer-songwriter

Singing is just one of the many hats Katie Noonan wears. She is also a painter, poet and an activist. She has been outspoken in her career and a proud advocate for the arts.

She was the Queensland ambassador in Kevin Rudd’s National Office for Live Music in 2013 and regularly coordinates events, including acting as the musical director of the 2018 Commonwealth Games’ opening and closing ceremonies on the Gold Coast. She has remained an independent artist supporting her own endeavours.

56. TAMMY HEMBROW

Influencer/entrepreneur

Among the early adopters of the influencer business and with 14.1m Instagram followers, Tammy Hembrow is one of the best known and most followed Australians on social media.

A simple post can mean big business for any company – and that’s why she can charge a premium for them.

With an estimated net worth of $38m, she also founded clothing label Saski Collection as well her TammyFit app, meaning her influence stretches beyond her social media accounts. Now engaged to retiring ironman Matt Poole, who co-owns restaurant Maman, the duo are regular guests on the Gold Coast social scene.

57. STEVE PRICE

Triple M Townsville breakfast radio presenter

When you’ve survived 30 years in breakfast radio – the most notoriously fickle slot – it doesn’t get much better than receiving a congratulatory message from the prime minister or the local mayor to mark the career milestone.

Steve Price, a legendary voice on the airwaves of North Queensland, got both – from Scott Morrison and long-serving Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill.

But notching up those 30 years of early starts in 2021 wasn’t all.

In 2018 “Pricey” was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to broadcast media and the community of Townsville in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Pricey is the undisputed king of Townsville radio, and has been in the business since he started in Melbourne at just 17. That’s just over 51 years.

When he speaks, people listen.

58. MARGOT McKINNEY

Jeweller

A fourth generation retailer, the bejewelled Margot McKinney has a glittering list of clientele, her expensive creations worn by some of the state’s richest and most influential women.

McKinney, who has a sumptuous boutique in Fortitude Valley, also hosts and sponsors many events, including the G’Day USA gala which she also uses as an opportunity to sell Queensland and mingle with her well-heeled American customers.

59. SOFIE FORMICA

4BC Radio afternoon presenter

Although relatively new to radio, starting in October 2021, this former TV presenter has secured her place in a cutthroat market.

Formica’s introduction saw the ousting of Deb Knight’s Sydney-based Afternoons program, sending a clear message that local talent matters in the Brisbane market.

When 4BC announced a major reshuffle of presenters in July – resulting in the acquisition of axed 4KQ trio Laurel, Gary and Mark for Breakfast and the redeployment of Neil Breen – Formica was left untouched, a clear sign her talkback format has influence with her demographic. Expect to see her star rise if she keeps shining in the ratings.

60. IAN WALKER

Queensland Youth Orchestras president

He was an effective arts minister in the Newman LNP government and one of the reasons for that is Ian Walker is passionate and involved. Leading Queensland Youth Orchestras, he is integral in shaping future musicians.

Walker also sits on the board of Circa, our contemporary circus company currently conquering the world and he is also on the advisory board for Ensemble Q. Walker is a former chair of Camerata, Queensland’s chamber orchestra, and his networks in the arts sphere run deep.

61. LACHLAN POWER

Influencer

The son of the mayor of Logan City, Lachlan Power is one of Australia’s richest YouTubers, amassing millions in cash and subscribers. Although he’s been quieter than usual on the platform, he remains an influential eSports personality, particularly on the game Fortnite, and has done lucrative deals with companies like Samsung and Disney.

He also founded PWR supply lifestyle apparel brand aimed at his target market, gamers.

62. NAOMI PRICE AND ADAM BRUNES

The Little Red Company co-founders

When these two friends got together in 2012 to start their company, they had big dreams. They’ve achieved them and more, creating one of Australia’s most vibrant, independent production houses.

Little Red has pioneered a brand of music-driven theatrical experiences which bring together world-class artists from diverse professional and artistic backgrounds, luring new audiences to the theatre. More than 450,000 people have seen one of Price and Brunes’s productions and Price’s partner Luke Kennedy always plays a part in their success.

63. SHANNON RUSKA

Indigenous performer

As the go-to guy for delivering a Welcome to Country for major state and local government events, Shannon Ruska is well known to most of Queensland’s top political figures.

The popular Ruska is a bloodline descendant of the Yuggera, Turrbal, Nunukul, Gorenpul/Cooperoo and Yugembir peoples and has extensive knowledge of First Nations language and stories relating to the areas of Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Logan, and the Redlands Shire.

He heads up Tribal Experiences and has performed at pretty much every major event in southeast Queensland over the past 25 years, as well as having travelled the world telling the stories of our region’s First Nations people.

64. JOEL BURKE AND KHALID TARABAY

Ballet International gala directors

Shaking up the ballet world – and putting the well-established Queensland Ballet on notice – Joel Burke, 22, and his entertainment lawyer business partner Khalid Tarabay have created a stir with BIG.

This year they brought to Queensland principal dancers from Staatsballett Berlin, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, The Royal Ballet in London and Astana Opera. Not one star but several, all performing on the one stage.

Sold-out performances in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast prove the public is eager for what they’re selling – and the state government, including Annastacia Palaszczuk, is starting to take notice.

With government funding, to bolster that of local philanthropists, BIG will be even bigger.

65. BIANCA DYE

Sea FM breakfast radio presenter

Despite being back where she started on Gold Coast radio, Bianca Dye has been a stalwart identity in the Australian entertainment industry for two decades. She has interviewed the stars as a TV host, been a panellist on Channel 10’s Beauty and The Beast, and served as music and entertainment reporter on Mornings with Kerri-Anne Kennerley.

HOW DID WE DETERMINE THE LISTS?

Firstly, The Courier-Mail senior leadership team engaged the newsroom – reporters on the ground and in the know, those whose job it is to cover these sectors every single day.

The leadership team then used its combined years of experience and extensive contacts to brainstorm more names, adding and culling – all the while consulting with external experts and trusted sources in relevant fields.

We have excluded current executives and editors of News Corp, The Courier-Mail, Foxtel and Fox Sports. That is because News Corp Australia is the publisher of The Courier-Mail, and owns 65 per cent of Foxtel.

We understand that any such list is bound to be subjective, and is by no means exhaustive – but this list is as accurate a one as possible to produce in terms of where things are right now.

It is a unique insight into who calls the shots in Queensland. And as a subscriber it is yours exclusively.

But remember that power is more often than not temporary. Who plays large in 2022 might not be so powerful in 2023. Watch this space.